This invention relates generally to methods for winding wire on a workpiece, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for forming a toroid coil on a toroidal body.
Many applications require the use of conductive wire, ribbon or tape to be wound around various shaped objects and/or in various shaped patterns. A solenoid is comprised of an electric conductor wound as a helix with small pitch, or as two or more coaxial helices, so that current through the conductor establishes a magnetic field within the conductor. A specific type of solenoid is a wire wound toroid core which is frequently used in various types of electrical and electronic equipment.
In order to optimize the electromagnetic properties of a toroid core, it is formed as an unbroken toroidal body. However, the shape of toroidal cores makes them difficult to wind with automatic machinery. It is, therefore, a common practice to wind toroidal cores by hand. Yet, to provide large numbers of such cores at a reasonable cost, the use of machines in manufacture is mandated. Heretofore, the machines used for winding toroidal cores have been complex and expensive because of the number of parts required in such a machine as well as the wear and tear on such parts. Further, the rate of completion of the final product, a wound toroidal core, has been relatively slow.